Privacy Policy | For Veterans, By Veterans

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

When you use Veteran Tools, you may provide us with:

Account Information: Name, email address, and password when you create an account
Military Service Information: Branch of service, service dates, duty stations, MOS/rating, and discharge status
Medical Information: Conditions, symptoms, diagnoses, treatment history, and medical records you choose to upload
Documents: DD-214, medical records, service records, and other documents you upload for processing
Statement Content: Information you provide when generating personal statements or buddy letters
Communications: Messages you send to us for support or feedback

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, and actions taken within the application
Device Information: Browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
Log Data: IP address, access times, and referring URLs
Cookies: Session cookies for authentication and preferences (see Section 7)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Provide and maintain our services, including document processing and statement generation
Process your documents using AI-powered extraction and analysis
Generate personalized statements and letters based on your input
Calculate disability ratings and provide claim guidance
Send you service-related communications and updates
Respond to your support requests and inquiries
Improve and optimize our services and user experience
Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security issues
Comply with legal obligations

3. We Do Not Sell Your Data

🛡️ Our Promise to You

Veteran Tools does not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes. Period. Your trust is paramount, and your data—especially sensitive military and medical information—will never be monetized. We have not sold personal information in the preceding 12 months and will not do so in the future.

4. Sensitive Information Handling

⚠️ Special Categories of Data

We recognize that military service records and medical information are highly sensitive. While Veteran Tools is not a HIPAA-covered entity, we treat all health-related and military information with the highest level of care:

Medical and military data is encrypted at rest and in transit
Access is strictly limited to essential service operations
We do not use sensitive data for marketing or advertising
You may request deletion of all sensitive data at any time

Important: Do not upload documents containing Social Security Numbers or financial account information unless absolutely necessary. We recommend redacting such information before upload when possible.

5. Information Sharing and Third-Party Services

We may share your information only in these limited circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We use the following categories of third-party services to operate our platform:

AI Processing: Google Gemini AI for document analysis and content generation. Google's Privacy Policy
Cloud Hosting: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for secure data storage and application hosting. GCP Privacy
Payment Processing: Stripe for secure payment handling (for paid features). We do not store your full credit card information. Stripe's Privacy Policy
Analytics: Privacy-focused analytics to understand service usage (anonymized data only)
Email Services: Transactional email providers for account notifications and communications

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.

5.3 Business Transfers

If Veteran Tools is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have.

5.4 With Your Consent

We may share your information in other ways if you explicitly consent to such sharing.

6. Your Rights and Data Deletion

🗑️ Right to Deletion

You may request deletion of your data at any time. Upon receiving a valid deletion request, we will delete your personal information from our active databases within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes (such as fraud prevention).

To request deletion, email us at privacy@veterantools.com with the subject line "Data Deletion Request" and include the email address associated with your account.

You also have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your data
Objection: Object to certain types of processing
Opt-Out of Marketing: Unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time via the link in any email or by contacting us

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies for:

Essential Cookies: Required for authentication and security
Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences
Analytics: Understand how users interact with our services (anonymized)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may prevent you from using certain features.

7.1 Do Not Track Signals

Our Service does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" (DNT) browser signals. However, we do not track users across third-party websites and do not use your data for targeted advertising. You can opt out of analytics tracking by contacting us.

8. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data, including:

Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS 1.3)
Encryption of sensitive data at rest (AES-256)
Regular security assessments and updates
Access controls and authentication requirements
Secure cloud infrastructure with SOC 2 certified providers
Regular backups with encrypted storage

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will:

Notify affected users via email within 72 hours of discovering the breach
Provide information about what data was affected
Describe the steps we are taking to address the breach
Offer guidance on steps you can take to protect yourself
Report to relevant authorities as required by law

10. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. After account deletion:

Personal data is deleted within 30 days
Uploaded documents are permanently deleted
Anonymized analytics data may be retained
Data required for legal compliance may be retained as necessary
Backup copies are purged within 90 days

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

Your California Rights

Right to Know: You can request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the sources, purposes, and third parties with whom we share it.
Right to Delete: You can request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Correct: You can request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Right to Opt-Out of Sale/Sharing: We do not sell or share your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. No opt-out is necessary.
Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Information: You can limit the use of sensitive personal information to what is necessary for the services.
Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

Categories of Information Collected

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected:

Identifiers (name, email, IP address)
Personal information under Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.80(e) (name, address, phone)
Protected classifications (veteran status, disability information you provide)
Internet activity (usage data, browsing history within our Service)
Professional information (military service history)
Sensitive personal information (health information you provide)

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@veterantools.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request." We will verify your identity before processing your request. You may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf.

12. Children's Privacy

Veteran Tools is not intended for use by individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately at privacy@veterantools.com.

13. International Users

Veteran Tools is operated in the United States and intended primarily for U.S. veterans. If you are accessing our services from outside the U.S., please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and where data protection laws may differ from those in your country.

By using our Service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

Posting a prominent notice on our website
Sending you an email notification
Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: privacy@veterantools.com

Subject Line: Privacy Inquiry

We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.